Judus in Jericho
by kamefootninja
Summary: Slade returns, and this time he has a new apprentice; Ravenger. But with Jericho facing Slade for the first time, the team notice how familiar they seem to be with eachother, especially when Jericho leaves the team to join the villainous duo.
1. Chapter 1

Re-uploaded because it got corrupted the first time sorry ^^''

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Since the teen titans formed, jump had just gotten used to the crazy fights and odd things that happen from day to day. Alien invasion, weird magical villains causing havoc, or just petty criminals getting apprehended and handed over to the police. It was so frequent it was almost routine.

It was common enough that you'd think the media would be bored of covering it by now, but sure enough the press arrived on the scene just at the titans were helping load the latest criminal into the police car and giving their statement.

It was all standard procedure for the titans; Robin didn't bother the media much and focused on the police, Beastboy posed and made up elaborate stories of how he single handedly won the battle, while Cyborg wound him up and pointed out every embarrassment thing BB had done. Star cheerfully chatted to fans, signing unofficial merch and taking photos. Raven, as usual refused to even humour the media and kept to herself or with Robin.

But this time was a little different than usual. It was different, because it was the first time they had a chance to see Jericho up close, and they jumped at the chance to get photos and try to grab an interview with the mysterious new titan. No one seemed to notice or care that Jericho himself seemed even more uncomfortable with the attention than Raven was.

"Robin! Please, our readers are dying to learn about the new guy." One of the reporters called out, trying to get a good view of Jericho with her camera. On his part, Jericho seemed to be doing a good job at keeping his back to the crowd, and didn't let anyone catch his eye or interact with him directly. "Could we get an interview? Or even a picture! Why has no one seen him before? Just who is Jericho?!"

The public knew nothing about Jericho, or what he could do, they just guessed based on his appearance, and the little snippets they'd caught during battles since he'd started joining the main team in Jump. He kept to himself, like Kole and a few of the other honorary titans, keeping as low as profile as he can and actively avoiding drawing attention to himself. Unfortunately in Jump, having a secret means that the press are drawn to you like a moth to a flame. And Jericho starving them of any information was just making them more determined to find his secrets.

"Please, if Jericho could just give a few words for the readers!"

The titans knew a little more about him than the public. Like how he never spoke a word. When he needed to communicate he used ASL, but since most of the team was still learning sign language, he often just wrote down his message on the little notepad he now carried at all times. Since they'd met him they'd rarely seen him communicate with anyone outside of the titans, even when they went out as friends for pizza or a movie. Jericho preferred to keep to himself, and they weren't about to push him into breaking out of his comfort zone.

His friends also knew his power; to possess people and take over their body, even talk with their voice if they are unconscious or unable to fight against him. They knew he spent at least two years alone on a mountain in Tibet, but not why. They didn't know how he got his powers, or where he came from. He insisted on keeping his real identity as secure as Robin did, and never ventured out of the tower in civilian clothes.

Jericho gave an uneasy glance towards the crowds, before quickly looking over at Robin. Mute since childhood, he got Robin's attention by snapping his fingers, before gesturing to the crowd behind them. His green eyes looked worried as he shook his head quickly. He didn't want any attention, he wanted to get back to the tower and hide away from the media. They fought and won, the police had the criminal in custody, their job was over, they didn't need to stick around any longer.

Robin gestured for Jericho to stay put, giving him an apologetic smile as he continued to talk with the police. As much as they'd like to avoid the publicity, they needed to keep a good public image, and making nice with the media was unfortunately one for the best ways to do that.

Without warning Beastboy suddenly appeared next to them with a big grin. "Com'on! They want a group shot for the front page!" And before Jericho or Robin could stop the shape-shifter, he was dragging the mute titan, along with Raven over to a group of photographer's. Robin sighed but followed behind, like it or not, it was easier to give them a photo than deal with the consequences of offending them.

"We're not here for a photo shoot. One photo, and then we're leaving." Robin addressed the press, with a sternness that commanded respect. There was a mumble of disappointment, and a few civilians snapping off photos on their phones, but for the press's part they seemed to be waiting for them to pose in formation to get the best shot. They knew they were lucky to get the hero's to actually pose for a photo, they didn't want to waste a good quality shot like that by being too hasty.

Jericho tried to get out of it, but Beastboy and Cyborg didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable he was, standing either side of him to pose and inadvertently trapping him between them, and in the photo whether he liked it or not.

Someone from the media counted them down, making sure they held the pose they wanted for the photo. "One" Jericho tried to squeeze away. "Two" Sea green eyes searched the crowd for a means of escape. "Three!" His eyes locked onto a police officer who was keeping the crowds in check. He felt his body becoming incorporeal just as he saw the flashing of what seemed like hundreds of cameras all at once.

For a second the policeman's body went still, completely paralysed as all his motor skills were taken over, but he barely managed to get out a surprised cry before it was over, and Jericho suddenly appeared in front of him, looking back at the team as they realised what had happened. He ignored the sound of confusion and annoyance from the press who wasn't sure what had happened, but knew they didn't get a good picture of the mysterious new titan.

Without waiting for Robin to dismiss them, Jericho turned and jogged away from the crowd, slowly building up to a run. He had to get back to the safety of the tower, now. He didn't look back, didn't see if the team was following him. They would have so many questions for him, but he didn't know if he would be able to give them any answers


	2. Chapter 2

When the rest of the titans arrived back at the tower, the first thing they saw was Jericho pacing back and forth in the main room. He seemed completely lost in some worrying thought. The small computer behind him was displaying media sites, all of people talking about him, complete with blurry pictures flicking through in real time. Everytime he looked over at it, it seemed to concern him even more. The usually calm blond looked distressed, like something bad had happened, but he didn't know what to do now about it.

"So. You going to explain what happened back there? I know the press can be a pain in the Ass, but they aren't that bad." Cyborg cut straight to the point, something was going on with Jericho but he wasn't telling them anything. They had a lot of questions about him in general, but everytime they tried to get him to talk he'd change the subject, or something would come up to distract them.

"Yeah dude, everyone loves you! Give 'em a good photo and they'll be putty in your hands!" Beastboy added, not seeming to notice that Jericho seemed distracted, as a fairly clear photo of himself flashed across the screen. When the words sunk in though, Jericho turned quickly and his hand sharply signed;

_'No photos'_

Robin's eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger, more in concern. Jericho was keeping secrets, and that didn't sit well with him. "We respect that you want to keep a low profile, but you have to give us something to work with. You haven't told us anything about who you are or where you came from. If you have enemies, then we need to know."

Jericho paused, shutting down the media feed before sighing and turning to look back at the leader. His warm green eyes changing from worried to defensive. Pointing to Robin, he then covered his eyes briefly before drawing an R on the side of his chest. Conveying his silent message. It was passive aggressive, but he didn't appreciate the sudden interest in his personal, or professional life.

"No one's asking you to reveal your identity." Robin had slowly gotten used to the charades Jericho used, mixed in with his sign language. He was picking up loud and clear the accusation that Robin hadn't told them everything about himself. "You have as much right to keep secrets as anyone. But what happened back there could have consequences. If your in trouble we can't help if we don't know what's going on with you."

Jericho's eyes softened slightly, and he looked away, ashamed of himself for assuming and getting defensive. No one was accusing him of anything, or trying to force his secrets out against his will. He sat on the arm of the sofa he'd been leaning against, trying to build himself up to talk. He didn't intent to run from the conversation this time. He wasn't being fair to them, they'd given him the benefit of the doubt for this long, and he's given them nothing in return. Part of him wanted to come clean, tell them his life story, how and why he was alone up on that mountain they found him on.

_'It's complicated'_

"So what else is new?" Cyborg laughed. "Nothing's ever easy around here. We all got our issues." It was no secret that most hero's made their choice because they had something bad happen in their past. Complicated was par for the course when it came to heroes and meta-humans. "But trust me, dealing with it on your own only makes it harder."

_'Sorry. I can't. I shouldn't be here'_

Jericho knew Cyborg was right, if he had some help it would be easier, but he couldn't let them know. It wasn't just dangerous for him, he was putting them all in danger by being here. He never expected to stay this long. A few days had become to weeks, and before he knew, it had been months. He'd been kidding himself that it was fine, that it was safe. But the press and media reminded him why he needed to keep a lower profile. If civilians were that interested in him, then then it wouldn't take long before he got attention from the wrong kinds of people.

It might already be too late for him to go back into hiding. But he wanted to help people. He loved being a teen titan, actually using his powers for good instead of hiding away on his own for years. Being a hero was all he wanted, but it wasn't easy for him. He had a past, and one that never went far from his thoughts. A past that he was scared of ever catching up to him.

"Someone's looking for you, aren't they?" Raven pointed out the obvious. She was an empath, but she didn't need her powers to work out why he didn't want attention. Especially having his photograph taken scared him, so it made sense that he didn't want to be found or recognised somehow.

After a few moments of hesitation, Jericho looked down at his hands, biting his lip nervously, before simply signing the word '_yes'_. There was an awkward silence before he looked up again, eyes full of regret. His hands came back up to sign, slower than before and more deliberate, like he was really thinking and picking his words carefully as he signed them.

'_May have to leave soon. Not safe. Shouldn't have stayed so long. Can't say why. Too dangerous.'_

Starfire half flew over, and took Jericho's hands in her's, giving them a comforting squeeze. "Friend Jericho, I may not understand everything that you've said." Her and Beastboy were still learning sign language, but it was slow, especially for Star who could pick up any spoken language in an instant through touch. "But I can feel that you are scared, and worried. Please, whatever is after you, we are your friends. And we wish only to help."

Jericho looked conflicted, but nodded that he understood, before giving her a sad smile as she stepped back away from him, giving him space and freedom to sign again. She didn't understand, none of them could, but he really did appreciate the offer. They were good friends, and in any other situation he'd take them up on the offer. But this was personal, and dangerous, he couldn't risk them getting caught in the crossfire.

_'I need to do this alone. I'm sorry'_

He looked like he was about to say something else, but the conversation was cut off by the towers alarm signalling that they were needed. A security feed flashed across the big screen, showing a warehouse near the dock being robbed. The culprits were completely in shadow, unidentifiable. But the security and police lying prone and unconscious on the floor, told them all they needed to know. Whoever it was, wasn't playing around.

"We'll talk about this later, we're needed downtown." Robin wordlessly commanded them to head out, cutting off any further conversation for now. Work came first, they all knew better than to take their personal life out on the job. They could continue this conversation when they got back. And Robin intended to find out at least something about why Jericho was keeping secrets.

"At least we know this shouldn't be _too_ difficult, I mean, pretty much all the big guys are still on ice." Cyborg pointed out, also seeming to just want to get this over with and get back to their conversation. Since the brotherhood of evil was defeated, along with most of their main villains, their battles had gotten easier. But it also meant that a whole new set of villains had stepped up to take their place, meaning that usually they were more inexperienced and unpredictable.

Bringing up the information on his gauntlet as they headed out, Robin suddenly stopped, before speeding on with more determination. "Its Slade!"

"Dude, you Sure? No one's heard from him for for almost a year!" Cyborg sounded just as worried as he did surprised, sharing a look with the rest of the team. They all knew that Robin's obsession with Slade wasn't healthy. After the hallucinations caused by Slade's mask, they'd all been on edge whenever Slade has been mentioned.

No one seemed to notice that Jericho had frozen, falling behind everyone else as his mind tried to catch up to what he was supposed to do in this situation. He could stay behind, but then he would need to explain why he was chickening out against one of their biggest villains. And if anything happened to them he'd never forgive himself for not being there to help them. It only took him a few seconds to make up his mind.

Beastboy looked back and seemed to finally notice that Jericho was visibly shaken, even though he was quickly running to catch up with the team. Slowing down to fall in line next to his silent friend, Beastboy gave him a reassuring smile. "Hey, you okay Jeri? You look like you've just seen a ghost." The mute had gone pale, and he looked like he was only just holding his nerve carry on. He didn't even acknowledge his friends concern, just carried on and tried to prepare for the battle ahead. "Look, if Robin's right then this isn't going to be an easy fight. You sure you're up to this?" They had all faced Slade before, but Jericho was still officially only an honorary member, so Beast boy wouldn't blame him if Jericho didn't feel ready to face Slade.

With a grim smile, Jericho nodded, his worried eyes stealing into determined slits. He needed to do this, to prove to himself as well as everyone else that he wasn't scared of facing Slade. He couldn't back down from this fight, even if Beastboy was trying to give him an out. Jericho was many things, but he wasn't a coward. His parents had always drilled into him since childhood that he needed to face his fears, instead of running from them. He couldn't keep running forever. Even at the risk of things going badly when he faced Slade, he needed to do this. To prove himself capable to taking care of himself.

Everyone had fallen silent, but the atmosphere was heavy in the air. No one was looking forward to this fight, but that was the least of people's worries. They worried for Robin, who had managed to mostly get over his obsession and trauma related to Slade, over time. And towards the back of the group, Beastboy also worried for Jericho. In all the battles they'd fought with him, and their time as friends, he'd never seen the almost cold determination on the mute pacifists face.

However this battle played out, it seemed that the easier job's they'd been experiencing was at an end. With Slade back in Jump, nothing was going to be easy. They just hoped that they could prevent things from getting too out of hand again.


End file.
